Vision, Speech and Signal Processing PhD

At the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP), we’re developing exciting and ground-breaking technologies. These include facial recognition for security and medical imaging, through to 3D spatial audio and 3D reconstruction from video for visual-effects production in films, games and virtual reality. Our research is creating machines that can see, hear and understand the world around them.

The Centre is one of the largest audio and vision research groups in Europe, and we’re internationally recognised for our pioneering research and novel technologies in audio-visual machine perception. We bring together a unique combination of cutting-edge sound and vision expertise with more than 170 researchers, and we’ve currently attracted more than £30 million in research grants.

Our research aims to advance the state-of-the-art in audio-visual signal processing, computer vision and machine learning, with a focus on image, video and audio applications. We have expertise and activities in computer vision, digital signal processing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, computer graphics and human computer interaction, and data science for media, medical image analysis and multimedia communication.

We often collaborate with industry and our research has led to frequent technology transfer and exploitation, with previous research projects having resulted in award-winning spin-out companies in biometrics, communications, medical technologies and in the creative industries.

The University of Surrey ranked 15th in the UK for research power for engineering by the recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. We are now also ranked in the top 20 in the UK for the overall quality of research outputs – research papers and other published works.

You can take a maximum of four years of full-time study to complete our PhD programme. After 12 months, you’ll write a confirmation report, which is assessed by two independent examiners. After that, you’ll submit a written PhD thesis after a minimum of three years of full-time study.

You’ll be allocated two Surrey-based academic supervisors, in addition to any external collaborative supervisors. Your principal supervisor will be an expert in your area of research and they’ll be in charge of monitoring your research progress on a regular basis. Your supervisors will help you define the initial objective and scope of your research, and to refine these as your project evolves. They’ll direct you to resources and they’ll be able to advise you on how to complete your PhD and your thesis. We often appoint external collaborative supervisors to contribute specific expertise or to allow access to external resources or organisations.

You’ll also be assigned to a research group, which includes a team of academics, postdoctoral researchers, guest scientists and fellows. Lots of our research at CVSSP is interdisciplinary and you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with scientists at universities, research establishments and industries around the world. We encourage active interaction with your peers and our researchers and academics, and we offer a friendly environment that nurtures openness and collaboration. You’ll be encouraged to present your research at well-renowned national and international conferences to gain experience and establish networks with leading researchers.

Our monthly seminars are open to all postgraduate researchers and we host leading experts from other institutions within the UK and from overseas, who give talks to members of the Centre in specific areas of research. In addition, our postgraduate researchers also attend regular internal seminars, where you’ll be able to present your individual research or practice presentations you’d like to give at conferences or events.

The University also holds an annual postgraduate researcher conference on campus, where you’ll be able to showcase your work and network with other researchers and academics.

You may be eligible to apply for membership with the British Machine Vision Association, the Audio Engineering Society, the British Computer Society and the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). You may also apply for Chartered Engineer status with the Engineering Council UK and with the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College, which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate Careers and Employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your PhD.